


Where we Stood

by Phoenix_Grl_1412



Series: when things change (we rise stronger than before) [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, BAMF Dorea Potter, Gen, Goblins, Gringotts Wizarding Bank, Harry Potter is the Heir to the House of Black, Harry Potter was Raised by Other(s), House of Black, House of Potter, Pre-Hogwarts, The Ancient and Most Noble House of Black - Freeform, The Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter, The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, alive! Dorea
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-21
Updated: 2018-10-21
Packaged: 2019-08-05 02:27:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16358924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phoenix_Grl_1412/pseuds/Phoenix_Grl_1412
Summary: "Because she was a Potter in name and a Black by blood. She would destroy anyone that tried to keep her away from little Harry, all of them, and anyone who stood in her way."Dorea Black Potter learns that things are not as she left them. She's going to make things right again, even if she has to turn the wizarding world on its head.





	Where we Stood

It begins with a letter.

  _“To my favorite Aunt”_ is how it is addressed, and she knows only a few would dare to address a letter to her like that. She is surprised it has found her at all; it has been years since she has received any post at all and she isn’t certain how this one managed to make it through to her.

  _“Dear Aunt Dorea,”_ it begins.

  _“I’ve tried to write this perhaps a hundred times, and I can never seem to get it to come out right. But I know that this must be it; there isn’t time for another try. There are so many things left to say, so many things you need to know, and I don’t know if a letter can really say it all. I guess the best way is to just get on with it and hope it’s enough._

_“To start off, congratulations, you’re a grandmother! Harry James Potter was born on the 31 st of July, 1980 to Lily and I and he has his mum’s green eyes. He is my heir in name and in blood, and the protections you gave to me live on in him. He’s about fourteen months right now and he’s the greatest little boy in the whole world! We named Sirius as godfather and Lily’s mate, Alice Longbottom, as his godmother._

_“A lot of things have changed here since you left. I won’t lie to you, things are a lot worse now than they were then. Voldemort and his band of inbreeds have gained strength and the Ministry is hard pressed to do anything. At the time of this letter, a lot of families have gone into hiding. The Whistlethorps, the McDonalds, and even the Longbottoms; they’re all in hiding, though for different reasons. We’ve gone into hiding, too, for the same reason that Frank and Alice Longbottom have._

_“I guess the crux of the matter is that there’s a prophecy out there, about the Dark Wanker and a child that could someday defeat him. I know you don’t put much stock in prophecies. Lily thinks the whole idea of prophecy and divination is a bunch of codswallop and I’m inclined to agree. But the Dark Wanker seems to believe it and that’s enough to make things dangerous. You see, the prophecy points at Frank and Alice’s son, Neville, or at our Harry, as being the child in the prophecy. Right now, there’s a big target on Harry’s head, and we won’t chance it. We will do everything to keep our son safe. That’s why we’ve gone into hiding._

_“Auntie, we’ve gone under the Fidelius. I know that it’s not the safest plan, trust me I know. We plan to move back to Potter Manor as soon as we’ve got the place fixed up; years of magical rot certainly do add up and right now it’s unlivable. Until then we’re doing what we can and the Fidelius was the best of a lot of shoddy choices. I won’t tell you where we are, or who the secret keeper is, in case this falls into the wrong hands. But, if something should happen, go to Gringotts. Speak to Stoneshard, he’ll be able to tell you exactly who you can trust and who you can’t._

_“I guess that’s the point of this letter: to tell you everything that I hope I get the chance to say to you in person. I have to hope that you never have a reason to read this letter, that it goes unsent and someday you come home to us._

_“You taught me that you can’t rely on a single plan. I didn’t listen, too caught up in being a ‘brave Gryffindor’ and not doing something so Slytherin like having backup plans to your backup plans. Merlin, I wish I’d listened better. You were right, Auntie. I can’t keep Harry safe if I don’t plan for every possible outcome._

_“This letter is the backup plan to every backup plan I’ve put in place. I know you were done with Britain, that it wasn’t a guarantee that you would ever come back. I know you’re hurt and heartbroken and that you don’t want to be bothered. But I beg you, Aunt Dorea, come home. Not for me; for Harry._

_“This letter is keyed in to your magical signature; it will find you, wherever you are, through any ward you might put up. Gringotts is holding it, keeping it safe until then. It’s triggered to send on the 15 th of July, 1990 if certain conditions are met. _

_“These conditions are, as written by Gringotts:_

'James Fleamont Potter, Lord of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter, and Lily Evans Potter, Lady of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter, have been declared deceased between the date of composure (15th of September, 1981) and the initiation date (15th of July, 1990) or have been declared unfit or unable by Gringotts Bank between the date of composure and the initiation date.

 The Heir ring for the Ancient and Noble House of Potter has been unclaimed as of the initiation date and no arrangements have been made with Gringotts Bank to claim the ring at a date beyond the initiation date.

 The named Heir of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter, Harry James Potter (henceforth referred to as ‘the named Heir’), son of Lord James Fleamont Potter and Lady Lily Evans Potter, has not been presented to any Gringotts teller as of the initiation date and no arrangements have been made with Gringotts Bank for his presence at a date beyond the initiation date.

 No death certificate has been filed with Gringotts Bank, the British Ministry of Magic, any British non-magical authority, or any international magical or non-magical authority for the named Heir as of the initiation date.

 The joint Will of Lord James Fleamont Potter and Lady Lily Evans Potter of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter, registered with Gringotts Bank on the 13th day of September, 1981, has not been executed as of the initiation date and no arrangements have been made with Gringotts Bank for the Will to be executed at a date beyond the initiation date.

 Guardianship of the named Heir has not been claimed by any of the named potential legal guardians (Alice Longbottom, Lady of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Longbottom; Sirius Black, Son of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black; Minerva McGonagall, Friend to the House of Potter; Andromeda Black Tonks, former Daughter of the House of Black; Amelia Bones, Daughter of the House of Bones) or any other named parties (Remus Lupin, Friend to the House of Potter) as of the initiation date nor have arrangements been made with Gringotts Bank by an approved party as of the initiation date.’

_“This letter is triggered if what happened to Harry after the death of Lily and I is unknown. Auntie, no one knows where my son is. I’m asking you to find him. If he’s happy and healthy, you can walk away if you want to. You don’t have to be any more involved than you want to be._

_“But if he isn’t happy, healthy, or safe, then I’m asking you to fix it. This letter, and the forms that are being held at Gringotts, allow your claim of guardianship to supersede anyone else’s. We’ve arranged it so that you can also claim Regency for the House of Potter, and again your claim would supersede anyone else’s claim. You have as much power as we can give you from the grave._

_“I know you didn’t want to be involved and I’m sorry that I’m asking you to do just that. You are the last person I can count on to fight for Harry and to keep him safe in my stead. I’m asking you to find him, Aunt Dorea, and to raise him like you raised me._

_“You taught me everything you could about our family and what it means to be the Heir to an Ancient and Noble House when Dad never got the chance to and Uncle Charlus couldn’t. You taught me, and though I didn’t listen as well as I should have, I can only pray that the sins of the father don’t live on in the son. I know that you will protect him and love him with everything you have, just as you did for me. I know that you will fight with everything you have to keep him safe. There isn’t anyone else I can trust with this._

_“Come home, Aunt Dorea. Find your grandson and protect him in my place. Raise him to be the kind of man you can be proud of and keep the House of Potter safe until he can claim the Lordship._

_“I guess there isn’t much more I can say. I’ve made my case and if I know you, you’ll make the best decision you can. If you have questions, contact Gringotts and they can give you any detail I’ve missed._

_“The last thing I want to say to you is that I’m sorry. I promised myself that when you came home, we’d all be waiting here for you. Me, Lily, and a whole gaggle of baby Potters. If you’re reading this, I’ve broken that promise and I’m sorry that I couldn’t keep it. I’m sorry you had to find out like this._

_“I wanted so much for us all, you know? I wanted our kids to grow up and call you ‘grandmother’. I wanted for you to come back and be welcomed home with open arms. I wanted to look you in the eyes and tell you that I forgive you for leaving and that I understand why you did it. I want you to know that I don’t blame you, not one bit. I wanted all of these things, for me and for you, and I’m sorry they’re out of reach now._

_“And thank you, Aunt Dorea, for everything you’ve done for me. Thank you for loving me, for teaching me, and for protecting me the only ways you knew how. Thank you for being one of the greatest mums I could have ever had._

_“Ever your son, ever your nephew,_

_James”_

Dorea Potter stares at the words on the page, waiting for them to rearrange themselves into something that makes sense. Because what she sees, what she’s reading, cannot be true. There is no way that someone who is so energetic, so happy, so full of life could be – could be – that her James could be –

 But the words don’t change, and the message remains the same no matter how long she stares at it or how hard her hands tremble. In 1,500 words, her heart has shattered once more. But this time will be different, she swears to herself and to the memories of the two most important people that have ever been in her life.

 Dorea never had children of her own, and not for lack of trying. That’s why when James Fleamont Potter had been born to her brother-in-law, she had loved him as if he was her own. And years later, when James had come to live with her and her husband for good, she had promised to be the best mother she could for him.

 But she’d failed him.

 She had left him when he needed her, left him to face the grief she herself was trying to outrun. She’d found no solace and no answers, but it had been a reprieve from the prying eyes of all those who would not, could not, understand that she loved her husband more than anything. And now her boy was dead and it was all her fault. If she had stayed, if she had kept her own promise and hadn’t been afraid of seeing a reminder of him -

 But she hadn’t, and it was too late. She had left him alone when he was grieving, too; but she would not fail him in this. This was the last thing he would ever ask of her, his dying wish in a sense. She had not been able to refuse her husband’s wish; she could not refuse his. She would not fail her son. She would find the answers that James could no longer search for and she would protect her grandson from anyone that might wish him harm.

 Because she was a Potter in name and a Black by blood. She would destroy anyone that tried to keep her away from little Harry, all of them, and anyone who stood in her way.

 And that was a guarantee.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Here it is, my baby that I've been working on since May but has been rattling around my head for almost 2 years. I've got a lot of things planned, and a lot of canon will change thanks to Dorea. Also, as we know almost nothing about her, I'm taking some liberties with her character. I hope you enjoy my interpretation of Dorea, you'll learn more about her and her story in the next installment in the series.
> 
> I've got the second installment in the series finished, it just needs a final read through, and the third installment is in the works. I'll try to post them soon, but I'm in my final semester of college so who knows what will actually happen.
> 
> Thanks for making it this far, and I'd appreciate any feedback you want to give me!


End file.
